Wolf Whistle @ Paradise in the Vault

Mermaids Performing Arts Fund bring Wolf Whistle to the Fringe, an exploration of what people hide behind their everyday personas. Three women have missed their period and they need to know why. This is the central point to each of their stories.

Cate Kelly plays mouthy schoolgirl Becca with ease. She pouts her way through the beginning of her story, which is all about boys and how everyone is jealous of her beauty; however this quickly darkens. Laura Ferguson as Clare plays the unfulfilled bus driver well with her happy-to-help, cheery façade soon slipping to reveal an unhappy woman who is tired of putting her needs second. Coco Claxton is excellent as Amanda the upper-class 'doctor' obsessed with order – it soon becomes apparent where her problem lies.

As each story unfolds more is learned about the real character underneath, their backgrounds, their flaws and their problems. This is done subtly yet leaves no confusion as to their situations. Each character speaks independently, never interacting with the others keeping it simple to follow and yet engaging, through script and performance.

The staging, though simple, conveys their three worlds excellently: a chair, wash-basket and kettle for Clare; a platform similar to a catwalk for Becca; and a table and chair for the studious Amanda. These simple props convey their lives, yet there is more that is unseen – this where fine acting skills come into play.

Three smart, funny and moving narratives that subtly interweave and end with each of them leaving the same doctor's office after discovering why they have missed their period. A performance that creates discussion on why people behave as they do and leaves questions on where the characters will all go from there.